Johns Spirit can go well in effort to make Paddy Power history November 13, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS CHELTENHAM’S OPEN MEETING NO HORSE has ever won back-to-back renewals of the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, but 2013 winner JOHNS SPIRIT (2.30pm) has the right attributes as he goes in search of history tomorrow afternoon. Jonjo O’Neill’s charge loves Cheltenham – three of his four chase wins have been at [...]
Noble Mission to emulate his brother Frankel October 16, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TOMORROW’S QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY AT ASCOT QIPCO British Champions Day has been a tremendous success and although the ground is set to be testing tomorrow, the action still promises to be enthralling. The first place to start has to be the meeting’s highlight, the £1.3m QIPCO Champions Stakes (4.05pm), where Cirrus [...]
Big Easy can give Hobbs a second Cesarewitch October 9, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE BEST OF THE WEEKEND’S RACING The £250,000 Betfred Cesarewitch (3.50pm), the second leg of the autumn double, is the biggest showdown of the year between the National Hunt and flat racing fraternities. Staying the marathon 2m 2f trip is an absolute must, so punters have tended to favour horses from jumps [...]
Cirrus Des Aigles on track for QIPCO British Champions Day October 6, 2014 BILL ESDAILE VISITED CORINE BARANDE-BARBE’S STABLE IN CHANTILLY YESTERDAY TO CHECK ON CIRRUS DES AIGLES CIRRUS DES AIGLES will head to Ascot on Saturday week without a win in the prep race he has dominated for three of the last four seasons after his controversial disqualification in Saturday’s Prix Dollar at Longchamp. Corine Barande-Barbe’s eight-year-old [...]
Fillies look to hold all the aces in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe October 2, 2014 BILL ESDAILE WITH HIS BEST BETS AT ASCOT AND LONGCHAMP THIS WEEKEND EEKEND SUNDAY’S Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (3.30pm) looks one of the most open renewals in a long time. Ante-post favourites have flip-flopped as often as pancakes on Shrove Tuesday in recent months, and it’s no certainty Taghrooda will start as the jolly [...]
Arsenal and Liverpool to make home advantage count over city rivals September 25, 2014 BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS THE WEEKEND’S BIG DERBY CLASHES AND BILL ESDAILE WITH HIS BEST BETS AT NEWMARKET IT IS a great weekend for rivalries, with two of the biggest derbies in the country – those of Merseyside and North London – taking place tomorrow. The capital’s most fiercely contested clash will play out in the [...]
Chelsea can continue sparkling start at Etihad September 18, 2014 BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS MAN CITY V CHELSEA AND BILL ESDAILE WITH HIS BEST RACING TIPS REIGNING Premier League champions Manchester City have endured a frustrating start to the new season, emphasised by a late winner for Bayern Munich from their former defender Jerome Boateng on Wednesday night that inflicted more European misery on the club. [...]
Romsdal can give Gosden fifth Ladbrokes St Leger September 11, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE FINAL TWO DAYS OF THE LADBROKES ST LEGER FESTIVAL THE THREAT from Kingston Hill’s trainer Roger Varian yesterday afternoon that he won’t run the colt unless they water the track means he must be opposed for the final Classic of the season tomorrow, the Ladbrokes St Leger (3.50pm). John Gosden is [...]
Take two against the field to land big pot at Doncaster September 10, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE SECOND DAY OF DONCASTER’S LADBROKES ST LEGER FESTIVAL THE BIG sales races at the top meetings are not everyone’s cup of tea. With horses carrying weight dependent on what price they reached at auction, it’s a lot less ‘fair’ than a handicap and you are generally left with big fields full [...]
Only Joking has serious chance up at Town Moor September 9, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE OPENING DAY OF THE LADBROKES ST LEGER FESTIVAL TODAY sees Doncaster host the first day of its St Leger Festival, packed with top-class action that culminates in the final Classic of the season, the Ladbrokes St Leger on Saturday. This afternoon features the popular Leger Legends Charity Race, which will see [...]
